Transcript

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>> Thailand facing Sunday to accept a constitution backed by the junta. It could pave the way for elections in 2017, but any future government will be forced to rule on the military's terms. Commanders will be in charge of the Senate, giving them a veto on decisions by elected lawmakers.

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Reuter's Chief correspondent in Bangkok, Amy Lefevre, has spoken to the bill's major detractors.>> Critics are saying that it's a huge step backwards for democracy in Thailand. And by critics I mean everyone, major political parties, opposition groups, student activists. They're all saying that this draft constitution is going to enshrine military power and basically insure that military is effectively babysitting or controlling any future elected civilian government.

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>> This poll was the first real popularity test for Prayut Chan-o-cha. The prime minister leads the junta that seized power in 2014. It says the constitution is aimed at healing more than a decade of divisive politics in Thailand.>> But there is a ban in Thailand, there is a law that largely bans campaigning.

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So it's been very difficult for those people who are against the draft constitution to express their opinion. But the junta has in recent weeks detained dozens of activists for trying to campaign against the military charter and it's definitely seen a crackdown on dissent in Thailand in the last couple of weeks and months.

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>> Thais took to the polls in a country rife with fears for the health of the 88-year-old king. The army claims to defend the deeply revered monarch and has used this as a justification for repeated political interventions. The final results of the referendum will be announced on Wednesday.